FIFA is reported to plan a renewed prohibition on fans displaying Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag at the 2026 World Cup. The restriction is tied to a stadium code of conduct that bars banners, flags, apparel, and related items deemed political, offensive, or discriminatory. The 2026 policy is expected to be enforced broadly, unlike inconsistent enforcement during the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The Iranian soccer federation reportedly submitted demands to FIFA, including respect for the Iranian flag, and FIFA characterized recent talks with Iranian football officials as excellent and constructive. Iranian diaspora figures said the ban would not stop supporters from displaying the flag, and compared the Islamic republic’s emblem to Soviet-era iconography. The lion and sun emblem has historical roots in Persian heraldry and became an official national emblem in the early 1900s before being replaced after 1980.
"FIFA reportedly plans to again prohibit fans from displaying Iran's pre-revolutionary flag at the 2026 World Cup, renewing a controversy that shadowed the tournament in Qatar four years ago and drawing immediate backlash from the Iranian diaspora and opposition figures."
"The ban was reported by The Athletic on May 19 after FIFA pointed to its stadium code of conduct, which bars "banners, flags, apparel, and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" from venues. Unlike in Qatar, where enforcement was inconsistent, the 2026 ban is expected to be applied as a blanket policy."
"The report said the Iranian soccer federation had submitted a list of demands to FIFA related to the team's participation, including "respect for the Iranian flag," and FIFA described recent talks with Iranian football officials as "excellent" and "constructive.""
""The flag of the Islamic republic is an ideological flag, comparable to the hammer and sickle of communism. It is not the real flag of the Iranian people." The flag at issue features the lion and sun emblem carried on Iran's tricolor for decades. The lion and sun motif has roots in Persian heraldry as far back as the 12th century, predating any modern monarchy, and became Iran's official national emblem after the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1907."
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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